The campaign organisation of Mazi Chima Matthew Amadi, the Action Peoples Party (APP) candidate for Imo East Senatorial District, has alleged a plot by elements within the All Progressives Congress (APC) to militarise Ngor Okpala ahead of the January 16, 2027 National Assembly elections.
The allegation was contained in at a press conference on Tuesday by the campaign organisation and signed by Cajethan Duke, JP, Chief Press Secretary to Mazi Chima Matthew Amadi and made available to newsmen in Owerri
.The campaign organization claimed that clandestine meetings involving senior APC stakeholders and individuals identified by community sources as members of cult groups were being held to facilitate their recruitment into government-supported community vigilante structures.
According to the organization, the alleged recruitment was politically motivated and intended to intimidate, harass and suppress opposition supporters, particularly members of the APP and supporters of Mr Amadi. “The frequency, secrecy and apparent coordination surrounding these nocturnal meetings have made them too serious to ignore,” the campaign organization said.
It further alleged that the infiltration of local security structures by cult-linked individuals could lead to coordinated attacks against Amadi before and during the election. The organisation described the alleged development as “an attempt to manufacture fear where political persuasion has failed,” insisting that Ngor Okpala and other parts of Owerri Zone must not be turned into political battlegrounds.
It challenged the APC and other persons allegedly involved in the meetings to explain the purpose of the reported recruitment. “The people of Ngor Okpala deserve answers before election day, not excuses after violence may have occurred,” it said, adding that its legal department was preparing a formal report to relevant security agencies to investigate the allegations.
It also warned against using community vigilante organisations for partisan political purposes, saying such structures were created to protect communities and should not become “private armies for politicians” or instruments of electoral intimidation. The campaign organization urged security agencies to act before any alleged plot escalates into violence.
It called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders and youth leaders across Ngor Okpala and Owerri Zone to reject any attempt to compromise local security structures for political advantage. It also urged supporters of Amadi and the APP to remain peaceful and disciplined, stressing that the campaign intended to win through votes rather than violence.
Declaring that Amadi was not intimidated by his opponents, the campaign said, “We are not asking for favours; we are asking for a level playing field.” It warned that any attempt to use government-backed security structures, cult-linked individuals, political thugs or other coercive machinery against voters would be documented, reported and exposed to the appropriate authorities.
